MONROE - Three Monroe community members advocated for keeping a third band director in the 2011-12 budget during the public comment portion of the Monroe School Board's meeting Monday.
Monroe School District leaders face a projected $1.6 million deficit for next year.
The three who spoke addressed the school district's plan not to refill Randy Schneeberger's position. Schneeberger, a band instructor at Monroe Middle School, is retiring this year.
Of the 16 teachers retiring from the district at the end of the year, 10 positions will not be refilled, including the band director.
Joe Tomasiewicz, of Monroe, said he has four children, and three of them have had the opportunity to go through the music program.
Tomasiewicz said he has provided board members with information, including a survey of other school districts and their teacher-to-student ratios in music, and a list of state Department of Public Instruction standards for music instruction. He also shared testing data for students in band and not in band.
"I would like to believe there is a solution that would help this program stay afloat until our state and federal governments get their acts together," Tomasiewicz said. "I'm not naive enough to believe this will happen in the short term and not without future referendums."
Tomasiewicz added that the band department has already lost 25 percent of its budget over the last two years.
He said he would like to retain the jobs slated to be cut after the referendum failed.
"Can't we slow things down and at least hire back a 29.5 hour teacher," Tomasiewicz said.
The Monroe band program was cut from four to three band directors in 2006 in response to budget concerns. A group called Community Helping Instrumental Music Education, or CHIME, formed to raise $140,000 to pay a fourth band instructor's salary and benefits package for three years.
In 2009, when those three years were up, the board opted not to add the fourth band instructor back to the payroll.
Lara Salyer Smith, who said she is involved with mind-body-spirit management at Monroe Clinic, is another proponent of fine arts education and the music program.
"In this day and age it's difficult to keep a high-quality academic education fully funded, much less fine arts education," Smith said. "We all know music education improves academic learning. It's no longer good enough to have a bare minimum approach to music or the fine arts."
Smith also shared testing data from the Journal Research in Music that showed students in top quality music programs scored better in English and math.
"I urge you to make music and fine arts an essential priority and just watch the success of our kids blossom in the years and decades to come," she said.
Monroe School District leaders face a projected $1.6 million deficit for next year.
The three who spoke addressed the school district's plan not to refill Randy Schneeberger's position. Schneeberger, a band instructor at Monroe Middle School, is retiring this year.
Of the 16 teachers retiring from the district at the end of the year, 10 positions will not be refilled, including the band director.
Joe Tomasiewicz, of Monroe, said he has four children, and three of them have had the opportunity to go through the music program.
Tomasiewicz said he has provided board members with information, including a survey of other school districts and their teacher-to-student ratios in music, and a list of state Department of Public Instruction standards for music instruction. He also shared testing data for students in band and not in band.
"I would like to believe there is a solution that would help this program stay afloat until our state and federal governments get their acts together," Tomasiewicz said. "I'm not naive enough to believe this will happen in the short term and not without future referendums."
Tomasiewicz added that the band department has already lost 25 percent of its budget over the last two years.
He said he would like to retain the jobs slated to be cut after the referendum failed.
"Can't we slow things down and at least hire back a 29.5 hour teacher," Tomasiewicz said.
The Monroe band program was cut from four to three band directors in 2006 in response to budget concerns. A group called Community Helping Instrumental Music Education, or CHIME, formed to raise $140,000 to pay a fourth band instructor's salary and benefits package for three years.
In 2009, when those three years were up, the board opted not to add the fourth band instructor back to the payroll.
Lara Salyer Smith, who said she is involved with mind-body-spirit management at Monroe Clinic, is another proponent of fine arts education and the music program.
"In this day and age it's difficult to keep a high-quality academic education fully funded, much less fine arts education," Smith said. "We all know music education improves academic learning. It's no longer good enough to have a bare minimum approach to music or the fine arts."
Smith also shared testing data from the Journal Research in Music that showed students in top quality music programs scored better in English and math.
"I urge you to make music and fine arts an essential priority and just watch the success of our kids blossom in the years and decades to come," she said.